Tethercell Makes Any Battery-Operated Device Smartphone Controllable

There are a lot of battery operated devices in our lives, and most of them die at the worst possible moment. But now, if there’s something you own powered by AA batteries, you’ve got an option that gives you more control. Meet the Tethercell.

A Sabot For Your Battery

Tethercell is basically a tool to add your battery powered devices to the “Internet of Things”, the idea that everything you own will eventually be connected to the Internet. Getting it connected is fairly simple; pull out a AA battery from the device in question, click a AAA battery into the Tethercell, slot it in where the AA is missing, and you’re done. So what do you get in exchange for this difficult task?

Active Control

Basically, you’ve just turned that device into a smartphone-enabled one. Tethercell’s app lets you turn devices on and off remotely, check the battery level of each device you’re using it on, set schedules and timers, and locate the device. Yes, you will finally have a tool to find your remote no matter where it happens to be hiding. This is especially useful, although they don’t come right out and say it, for children’s toys; you can set them to only work during a set period of time, ensuring they do their homework and/or stop annoying you when you’re trying to sleep.

For AAs Only

There are, of course, a few downsides. To start with, this will only work for devices that take AA batteries, so if you were hoping to control everything in the house, well, you’re limited just to the AA-powered ones. Similarly, they’re still testing the app, but you can have an unlimited number of Tethercells around the house just yet; currently the app can only handle up to four.

But that’s a small price to pay for control; you can get one on their IndieGoGo page for $35.